Cap Anson vs Mule Suttles: Career Stats Comparison

Cap Anson (1871–1897) and Mule Suttles (?–1948) — their careers are worth a careful side-by-side. Cap Anson finished with 3,435 hits and 97 home runs; Mule Suttles finished with 1,168 hits and 188 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Cap Anson

Hitter · 1871–1897
Games
2,524
Hits
3,435
Home Runs
97
RBI
2,075
Avg
.334
OPS
.841
View Cap Anson's full profile →

Mule Suttles

Hitter · ?–1948
Games
972
Hits
1,168
Home Runs
188
RBI
930
Avg
.339
OPS
1.025
View Mule Suttles's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Cap Anson and Mule Suttles. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Cap Anson Mule Suttles
Games 2,524 972
At-Bats 10,281 3,448
Runs 1,999 763
Hits 3,435 1,168
Doubles 582 229
Triples 142 81
Home Runs 97 188
RBI 2,075 930
Walks 984 389
Strikeouts 330 24
Stolen Bases 277 92
Batting Avg .334 .339
On-Base % .394 .409
Slugging % .447 .616
OPS .841 1.025

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Cap Anson outpaces Mule Suttles 52,242 to 23,097 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (1,935 vs 924 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Cap Anson
52,242
Career PIV · 1,935 per season (27 seasons)
Mule Suttles
23,097
Career PIV · 924 per season (25 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Cap Anson — top 3 seasons by OPS

1894.997 OPS5 HR, 100 RBI, .388 avg
1886.977 OPS10 HR, 147 RBI, .371 avg
1881.952 OPS1 HR, 82 RBI, .399 avg

Mule Suttles — top 3 seasons by OPS

19261.349 OPS32 HR, 130 RBI, .425 avg
19281.110 OPS21 HR, 75 RBI, .359 avg
19291.047 OPS20 HR, 109 RBI, .351 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Cap Anson leads in hits, RBI, runs, and stolen bases, while Mule Suttles owns home runs, batting average, and OBP. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Cap Anson. PIV agrees: Cap Anson grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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